Lost When I Am Found
by SealedSecrets
Summary: JB/OC AU from eclipse. He's just as he is in the book. A new friend of the pack is annoying him. but with Victoria's army fast approaching,will they put aside thier differences to save the Pack. And why is Bella still the center of the universe?
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter Title:** Prologue

**Disclaimer: **Neither I nor [DrkAngl376] own Twilight or its characters; we are simply borrowing them for our own amusement, so don't sue.

**Chapter Rating: **T

**Fic Summary: **Jacob gets another shot at being happy. He doesn't want it, and neither does Megan, the girl who pushed her way into his circle with full intention of annoying him. But with Victoria's army fast approaching, will they put aside their differences to save The Pack. And why is Bella still the center of the universe? [Jacob/OC] AU starting book 3.

**Author's Note: **Hello! This is SealedSecrets. DrkAngl376 came up with the idea for this story and I just put it into sentences and chapters. She owns Megan and Jason (and their parents), while I own Sasha, Tina (and her mom), Renaldo, and a few other characters whose sole purpose is to offer a filler paragraph. With that said, we hope you find this enjoyable (or at least plausible) and tell us what you think. Thank you.

* * *

The little unsuspecting rabbit scurried across a meadow towards its hole. Midway there the rabbit got a foreboding feeling that consumed its entire little body, then instincts took over and it started sprinting at full speed for hideout. Unfortunately for the creature, what was stalking it was not a mere owl or fox, it was a wolf. A wolf bigger than any that ever existed. A werewolf.

Hunt. Kill. Kill. That was all that was going through Jacob's mind. He felt like a real animal, maybe he was slowly turning into one. _That's fine, life's easier like this_.

In one pounce he captured his intended prey, killed it, and then swallowed it whole.

He decided that was all he needed for the day..._or five days_. He thought bitterly to himself. Sneering at the spot the rabbit had just been in moments before; he turned away and started running...again. he had been running for weeks, only stopping a few times along the way to hunt something small, just enough to give him a reasonable amount of energy.

_That and I just don't want to eat. _

_Where_ he was headed? He had no idea, he just ran. It made him feel light and that life was simple. Whenever he ran he pretended to be the only one on this earth and that his only objective in life was to run. It helped!

He felt a prickle behind his eyelids and blinked the tears away quickly_. I was doing fine just now. _He did not need to think about _that _now.

_No you weren't_. A terrible little voice said in the back of his head

He growled and ran faster. He needed to kill something. He shook his head at the thought.

_I'm not a killer_

_No, but you're slowly turning into one. What happens when you lose touch with your humanity and become an actual wolf?_ The voice said again

Jacob had been worried about this for a while. Ever since he stopped hearing his brothers' thoughts, he thought that they decided to stop pressuring him into coming back and give him the space he wanted, and then a scary thought crossed his mind. _They couldn't have stopped phasing for so long, it's been weeks. Have I lost the connection to them?_ He didn't know, even though the sound of only his thoughts in his head was refreshing, he worried.

_This isn't exactly a good sign._

He skidded to halt beside some trees and looked up at the sky. It was covered in a blanket of orange, red and purple. He could see the stars begin to appear. It was beautiful sight. He lowered his body and lay down under a tree. The fur on his back moved along with the light breeze. He closed his eyes and waited for sleep to consume him, he hadn't slept since he left the reservation so he figured sleep would come easy.

Oh, how wrong he was!

_She_ stalked through his every thought; her words echoed in his mind endlessly and no matter what he tried to think about or focus on anything else everything lead him back to her. It was pathetic, he knew, but he couldn't help it. After sharing so much with each other, how could she throw him away like that? The thought made no sense to him. How could anyone open up so much to someone else then act as if it had never happened. Does she not feel anything? Is she at all bothered by what she had done? Does she ever think about _his_ feelings for once? He figured out that Bella had been using him, in a way, to get over her pain over the leach. And that she had always been thinking of her blood sucker, not him.

He inhaled a lungful of air and let it out loudly. He wished he could just roll over and die. Or if there was a way to switch off "feelings", that would have been great.

He sighed as best he could in wolf form and let a tear slide out of his eye, then put his paws over his eyes and prayed for a dreamless sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Title:** Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: **Neither I nor [DrkAngl376] own Twilight or its characters; we are simply borrowing them for our own amusement, so don't sue.

**Chapter Rating: **T

**Fic Summary: **Jacob gets another shot at being happy. He doesn't want it, and neither does Megan, the girl who pushed her way into his circle with full intention of annoying him. But with Victoria's army fast approaching, will they put aside their differences to save The Pack. And why is Bella still the center of the universe? [Jacob/OC] AU starting book 3.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.

She walked down the street, her bag pack hoisted onto one shoulder and holding the strap with one hand while the other held a cell phone.

'_I'm on my way over...I've got your homewoooooork! Rejoice! ; p'_

She typed the text and slapped her cell shut just as a car sped by, splashing her with dirty water from the street that resulted from last night's downpour.

Megan Stone shrieked and held her arms away from her body; the cold water mixed with the chilly air of (insert month) was a fatal combination.

"Jerk", she yelled after him. She shook her arms in order to get as much water she could off her. She groaned. With soaking shoes she took a detour to her house to change before heading to her friend's house as promised.

After a quick shower she put on a pair of jeans that was lying on the floor in her room and grabbed the first long sleeved shirt she found in her closet. She dumped her dirty clothes in her laundry basket and went to collect her bag pack from the floor beside the kitchen counter, slipped on her shoes, picked up her jacket and went out of the small apartment she shared with her brother.

"What took you so long?" her friend asked her as soon as Megan stepped inside her room.

"Some jerk thought it would be funny to splash me with muddy water." Megan said with a sneer.

Her friend's eyes grew and her mouth fell open a little, then she broke out laughing loud enough that Megan flinched.

"Serves…you...right" she clutched at her sides from the hilarity of the image she created in her head of Megan's misfortune.

Megan raised a brow planted two fists on each of her hips, "why so?"

Her friend took a few moments to catch her breath before answering, "Because you just had to get the assignments I missed."

Megan's mouth opened and closed a few times before she huffed indignantly, "You asked me to." she pointed an accusatory finger at her friend who was seated under the warmth of her comforter on her bed.

"No I didn't. I specifically remember saying that I wanted chocolate, not assignments." she said pointedly.

"Tina you're hallucinating again." Megan said with an eye roll.

"I don't hallucinate." Tina said with a look of utter hurt on her face.

Megan couldn't believe she was being manipulated so easily by her best friend, and it was working. She swore, someday Tina would take over the world and become the world's most sneaky tyrant since...well; Megan really needed to brush up on her ancient history.

Tina giggled and started bouncing on her bed, red hair bouncing along with her.

"Okay then, show me what you got."

Megan took some papers out of her backpack and went to sit beside her friend on the bed. She went over the topics that Tina missed because of her stomach flu and told her about the assignments that she will need to submit when she returns to school.

"But that's all too much." Tina whined.

"Well you can use the 'I was sick' excuse and they'll extend your deadline. Your mom's a doctor you can easily get a note." Megan reminded her.

"Yeah well..." when Tina made no motion of completing her sentence Megan started,

"So will you be back at school tomorrow, I miss you. With you and Reno gone it's pretty boring."

"No, sorry honey. My mom won't let me out of bed yet. You know how she is." she said with a smile.

"Fine, but you're going to make it up to me when you get back to school." Megan raised her brows to make her point clear that there was no getting out of this one.

Before Tina could retort her bedroom door swung open revealing Tina's mother, still in her white doctor's coat.

"Oh Megan dear, how great to see you." She exclaimed and went to hug the brunette.

"It's good to see you too Mrs. Brennan." Megan pulled back from the woman.

"But what are you doing here dear? You could catch Tina's cold! Hurry out of this room… quickly!" Tina's mother started pushing Megan lightly towards the door.

"Oh! Come on mom… you won't let me have any contact with the outside world just for a few minutes. I haven't seen her all week!" Tina said in a fashion that implied that she knew her mother would not be deterred, but she wasn't going to not try.

"It's not you I'm worried about dear, it's Megan." Mrs. Brennan quickly ushered Megan outside her best friend's room and shut the door, but not before hearing an extremely loud huff from Tina.

Megan chuckled at the older woman's protectiveness. Mrs. Brennan rushed past her into the kitchen and came back with a sandwich, "here dear eat this," she handed Megan the plate and swiftly disappeared in a room down the hall.

Megan decided not to ponder too much on the woman's bizarre behavior that evening and went about eating her sandwich.

Mrs. Brennan came back and went again in the kitchen, "How is your brother Megan?" she asked.

Megan shrugged, finishing her sandwich, "He's fine. He's going to start his new job at the cafe' today, after his shift at the fish market."

Mrs. Brennan stopped shuffling behind the counter to look at Megan with surprise. "He's taking up a second job?"

Megan nodded and looked down at the counter. The silence between them stretched until Mrs. Brennan shoved two Tupperware containers into Megan's hands.

Megan looked up at the woman with slight amusement. "Some food for you dear. You could use some fat on your bones, I mean look at you!" she laughed and embraced the girl lightly, "Go on now, before you're infected." She said with a smile.

Megan nodded at her best friend's mother, picked up her bag and went out the door with a wave to the doctor.

~.~.~.~.~

Megan walked up to her apartment door and balanced the food containers in one arm while she unlocked the door with her other hand.

She walked in and shut the door with her foot. She walked to the counter and set the containers down and sat on the barstool, sighing she took them and placed them in the fridge while also taking inventory of what she needed to buy.

A noise came up from bathroom which caused Megan to jump.

_Jason shouldn't be here yet!_

She walked to the bathroom and found the door ajar, she peaked her head in only to find her brother's girlfriend crouching and picking up small bottles which she knew held her hand cream and such.

"Hey, Sasha! What are you doing here so early? Jason won't be home for at least another four hours." Megan went to help the older girl with the accidental mess she caused.

"Oh I know that… but I figured since he won't be here and you'd be alone then we could hang out a little" the brunette said excitedly.

Megan chuckled under her breath and got up along with Sasha to put away the bottles.

"Ok, well I'm sure you've seen the fridge so we need to go grocery shopping."

Before Megan finished her sentence Sasha was dangling her car keys in between them and a big smile on her face.

~.~.~.~.~

They pulled up in front of the grocery store in La Push. Sasha had insisted they go here because it was bigger and 'really hot guys hung out there all the time' as Sasha said.

Megan had been amused at her friend's incessant trials to hook her up with anyone who was male and fit her brother's girlfriend's standards; which were being big, hot and taller than Megan.

They strolled through the aisles grabbing whatever they needed, Sasha wandered away and Megan stopped her cart in front of cereal boxes and bent down to get her favorite kind when she heard loud laughing some distance from her and she looked up to be greeted with the sight of giants.

Megan never believed in myths and fairytales but the five giants in front of her got her to reconsider. She didn't know people could get so huge.

Other patrons of the grocery store showed their irritation at the loud boys and carried on with their shopping.

Megan stared; she knew she should look away but the sight before her cemented her eyes.

One of the boys noticed and looked her way and a huge grin broke onto his face as he approached her.

Megan's eyes went wide and she turned around quickly to put the cereal boxes in her cart and hoped to get away before the incredibly gorgeous guy reached her.

No such luck! The big, tanned guy was in front of her and saying things. She snapped to attention and heard him say, "I know you! Remember me? We met at that party on the beach a few months ago."

It hit her then that he did in fact look familiar, "Uh yeah! Um… I'm sorry I don't remember your name, the party seems like such a blur to me." She said with a sheepish smile.

He extended his hand and she took it, "Embry! You're Megan right?"

"Yes, I'm Megan… good memory." She laughed lightly and hoped that he didn't see the blush that crept into her cheeks at realizing that a very good looking guy remembered her name.

_Why doesn't this happen at school_. She groaned in her head.

Just then all of the other boys he came with rushed to his side after watching from afar.

"Hi. I'm Quil, we haven't met before."

"Do you live here?"

"You're scaring the girl"

"Calm down."

She was bombarded with questions and comments and she honestly felt scared at how they all seemed to tower over her.

She suddenly noted the silence around her and looked up at the boys who had apologetic looks on their faces.

The tallest one of the bunch spoke up, "Sorry about these idiots…they think they're funny." After a pause, "I'm Paul by the way."

"Hi." She said quietly

The one named Paul then proceeded to shoo them all away to which they all grumbled and shot him dirty looks but otherwise obeyed.

He then turned to her and shot her a smile that had her blushing so much she thought her face would burst into flames. She smiled back and went to push her cart back into the direction she was headed before the interruption.

Paul apparently took that as an invitation and started walking with her. She shot him a sidelong glance and wondered where Sasha had gone.

"So where are you from? I think I'd remember someone as tall as you had I seen you before." He said with a smirk.

She raised a brow at that. _Great! another height joke_. Suddenly her admiration for the 'Tall, Dark and Handsome' vanished, to be replaced by annoyance and replied, "I live up in Neah Bay, that's why…" When she offered no more information Paul just nodded and smiled.

She looked up suddenly when she heard Sasha's laughter and rounded a corner to find her friend seemingly enjoying herself under the attention of three of the four giants she met only moments before.

Megan pushed her cart purposefully toward Sasha and upon reaching her, interrupted the happy mood rather loudly, "Should we get going?"

Sasha looked up and a giant grin broke onto her face as she reached to pull Megan's arm toward the group of boys, "Megan, Look who I just met!" she pointed to the shortest of the group, "That's Seth Clearwater, his mother taught at our school when I used to go there. She was one of my favorites, such a sweetheart."

"Hello." The boy said enthusiastically, which Megan found both odd but cute.

"And this is Embry, and Quil." She continued the introduction.

"So you two know each other?" the 'Quil' asked, motioning between Sasha and herself.

"Yes we're friends." Megan replied quickly and started to pull Sasha along with their cart toward the cashiers.

"We could help with those." Paul called after them.

"No thanks, we got it. It was nice meeting you." Megan called over her shoulder and proceeded to push faster.

When they were done loading Sasha's car, buckled up and well on their way, it was Sasha who broke the silence, "Well someone was in a hurry to leave!" she glanced at the girl in the passenger seat who was leaning against the glass, "What was that all about?"

Megan sighed then turned toward her friend. "They were strangers… and they were all over us, it's creepy."

"No, they were the welcoming people of La Push. When are you going to stop being so anti-social?" Sasha's frustration at the younger girl was apparent.

"I'm not anti-social, I'm just…" she paused.

"Just what?" Sasha pushed gently.

"Not like you." Megan mumbled, lowering her head till her chin was against her chest.

Sasha stayed quiet, not knowing what to say to that, then after a few moments she said slowly, "What do you mean like me?"

Megan sighed, defeated, "You're so bubbly and charming. Everyone falls in love with you after five minutes of meeting you. You're just nice… I'm not like that; if I meet anyone new I just shut down. No response. Just like that," she snapped her fingers, "Megan has left the building!"

A corner of Sasha's lips curled upward slightly, "Well do you think I was always like this?" she glanced at Megan again then turned back to the road and said, "I got this way by practice. I meet new people every day and I put myself out there. I take chances with people. Practice honey, practice."

Megan contemplated her words for a little then said, "But you're a journalist, it's your job to meet people every day!"

"I write obituaries, I'm not a reporter just yet." Humor laced the older girl's voice.

Megan decided to end the conversation and went back to staring out the window, and found that they were on the side of the road closest to the woods and in a split second she saw a hug blur rush by so fast that she thought she had imagined it. _Maybe I caught Tina's flu. That would just suck royally, our midterms start next week_. With that she lost herself once more in her own thoughts.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Title:** Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: **Neither I nor [DrkAngl376] own Twilight or its characters; we are simply borrowing them for our own amusement, so don't sue.

**Chapter Rating: **T

**Fic Summary: **Jacob gets another shot at being happy. He doesn't want it, and neither does Megan, the girl who pushed her way into his circle with full intention of annoying him. But with Victoria's army fast approaching, will they put aside their differences to save The Pack. And why is Bella still the center of the universe? [Jacob/OC] AU starting book 3.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.

Megan and Sasha were preparing dinner when they heard the door of the apartment bang and the sound of shuffling came closer. Sasha dropped the wooden spoon in the pot where she was stirring meat and peas in sauce, ran and jumped at the approaching figure.

Megan shook her head in amusement as she saw her brother and Sasha get lost in their own world.

"Dinner's ready in case you're interested." She said as she started placing plates on the island that separated the kitchen from the living room.

When Sasha let go of him, Jason disappeared in to the bathroom, coming out a few minutes later looking much better. All three sat on the barstools there and started eating Sasha's newest dinner creation.

"Wow! Sasha, this actually tastes good!" Megan teased.

Jason snorted and almost choked but Sasha slapped him on the back a few times.

"Oh, real funny Megan! You almost killed your brother!" she said chuckling.

Jason composed himself and started telling the girls about his first day at his second job, where Megan proceeded to make fun of him while Sasha laughed at the sibling's dynamic.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.

Megan Stone shot up in bed with her hand on her heart, eyes wide and frantic. She managed to get her erratic breathing under control after a few moments; holding her hand in front of her face she found that it was shaking, she tried to make it stop by making a fist but that was no good. She ran her hand through her chestnut hair and retracting it running over her face when she realized there was moisture on her cheek. Had she been crying in her sleep? Apparently she had. The question was _why_? For the life of her she couldn't remember what she had been dreaming about that was so horrible, all she had was a left over feeling of despair and helplessness.

She rubbed her eyes with the heels of her hands and got out of bed giving up on sleep and heading out of her small bedroom to make her way to the kitchen.

Again the fridge was near empty all that was left was a carton of milk and couple of blocks of cheese and a few packages of Chinese takeout. She reached for the Chinese and the milk and turned, shutting the fridge door with her foot.

She poured herself some milk, sat on the barstool and opened the package; a horrible smell erupted out of the container. _Blakh_. Obviously it's been in the fridge for far too long. She dumped it in the trash quickly.

She would have to go grocery shopping soon. Very soon. _Once Jason gets his paycheck that is_. Her appetite lost she decided to just be satisfied with her milk.

She sat on the small couch in her miniature living room and stared straight ahead, lost in thought. Why had she been waking up in the wee hours of the night sweaty and shaking from head to toe? Is she coming down with something? That was very possible. _What with the careless running in the rain I've been doing lately_.

She decided she'd go see the town physician at the nearest time possible

"Megs! Hey Megs… Megan", Jason shook his sister awake. Megan sat up groggily and flinched against the light that attacked her irises. She had fallen asleep on the couch. _The small, lumpy couch_. She added to herself in annoyance. _I'm going to be sore all day_.

An hour later Megan all but sprinted down the halls of her school to get to her first class. _Physics, yuck!_

She entered the class just in the nick of time and still Mr. Hernandez looked at her like she'd just murdered a puppy without blinking.

She rolled her eyes at his back and went quickly to her seat. She always sat beside this guy called Anton; he had a curly mop of black hair, green-ish eyes and fair skin. She'd never spoken a sentence to him and he didn't look like he was dying to talk to her. He didn't seem interested in talking to anyone aside from his girlfriend, the sweetest girl in senior year, Amanda. She had dirty blond hair, brown eyes and somewhat of a tan. She's talked to Amanda a few times when the girl was recruiting members for school events and was surprised to find her to be so helpful and bubbly.

_Anton must be really mature for his age if he managed to hold the older girl's attention for two years now_.

They looked perfect together and Megan sometimes found herself staring at them during lunch and wishing she could have what they do. _Hell! The entire school envies them_.

She decided that she probably burned enough holes into the board with all the daydreaming she'd been doing and went back to her notes.

Sometime later Megan stood in the lunch queue to get food when a pinch at her waist had her shrieking and jumping out of her skin, successfully startling the person in front her. She whipped around quickly and saw none other than her best friend Renaldo Torres.

"Hey chika! How was your weekend?" he said with a smile so big Megan thought his face was going to split.

Renaldo had jet black curly hair, brown eyes and was tanned. A classic Latino look that drove girls wild. His facial features amped up by a smile that should be illegal, as the cheerleader squad 'oh-so-eloquently' put it. He was tall and well built from playing for the school's basketball team. Why he continued to hang out with Megan, with her common looks and blunt personality, was beyond her, but she would never admit that. _Never_.

Megan though couldn't help but smile back at his enthusiasm, "Reno you know how my weekends are; boring. And with you out of town it was _extra_ boring."

Renaldo put a hand to his heart and gave her his best puppy impression, "Aww! Baby, you really know how charm a guy."

Megan rolled her eyes and moved along with the queue, Renaldo at her heels.

"Anyway, how was _your_ weekend? What did you do on that trip you wouldn't shut up about for _weeks_?" she asked him while picking her pudding, paid the cashier. They headed for their usual table and sat down.

Renaldo stuck out his tongue, "Hater! It was pretty good. Completely worth giving you a headache… Ow! Hey!" Megan punched his arm and smirked.

"Chika you're getting stronger everyday! Are you _on_ something?" Renaldo eyed her in mock suspicion. He knew she would never do what he was insinuating, but he also knew that comments like that would get her riled up and there was nothing cuter than a huffing, indignant Megan.

Megan snapped her head up so fast she regretted it. "I would never… don't say that, you know how fast rumors travel around here…just…don't okay?" she slapped her fist on the table in a child like manner that had Renaldo struggling to suppress a laugh, until he noticed the can of coke in her other hand was shaking and her fingers gripping it so hard the can was denting, "Whoa! Megan calm down baby, you know I was just messing with you."

He put his right hand on her shoulder and she started to relax, "I'm sorry Reno, I've been really stressed lately, I don't know what's going."

"With what?" he asked in a soft voice.

"I… I don't know. I can't… I don't…" she sighed miserably, "I'm not making any sense… something is going on with me, I don't know what, I'm not sleeping well and I've never been a moody person but lately my mood swings have been so random that I'm making myself nauseous and sometimes I feel my heart pace climb really high really fast for no reason. Do…do you think I might have what my mom had?" the last of her sentence came out barely above a whisper.

Renaldo was shocked to say the least. He hadn't seen Megan look so scared and vulnerable since her father was diagnosed with amnesia. He didn't know what to say to make her feel better, even though they've been close for almost four years, he still didn't know what to do in times like this because they were so rare.

So he went with his gut and put his hand on her fist and smiled at her tenderly, "No Meg, you're not going to end up like your mother, I won't allow it. You're my little, strong chika! You're completely fine, don't worry." He said it with such finality that she decided to believe him instead of worrying herself to death.

Then Renaldo got a look in his eyes and started singing an old Bob Marley song while circling his fists in front of his face and moving his head back and forth, "Don't worry… about a thing…every little thing… is gonna' be alright." Doing his best Jamaican accent, which wasn't very good but that made it even funnier.

Megan burst out laughing unable to hold it anymore and her worries were forgotten for the day.

"So where's Tina? She should have been here by now." asked Renaldo looking around the cafeteria.

Tina was the third addition to their group; a spunky redhead with striking, green eyes and a smile that can render anyone speechless. Renaldo would always tease her that with his evil mind and her hypnotic smile, they could take over the world. And she would come back with a snarky reply that beat him to the ground every time.

"Oh she has the stomach flu. It's been going around for a few days. I saw her yesterday. She looked really bad but it'll be out of her system soon. Her mom kicked me out soon enough; she was worried I'd catch it too." Megan chuckled and shook her head.

Renaldo nodded and said that they should pay Tina another visit. Megan agreed.

The two friends finished lunch and made plans to meet after school for some overdue 'movie and popcorn' time, then went about the rest of their classes


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Title:** Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: **Neither I nor [DrkAngl376] own Twilight or its characters; we are simply borrowing them for our own amusement, so don't sue.

**Chapter Rating: **T

**Fic Summary: **Jacob gets another shot at being happy. He doesn't want it, and neither does Megan, the girl who pushed her way into his circle with full intention of annoying him. But with Victoria's army fast approaching, will they put aside their differences to save The Pack. And why is Bella still the center of the universe? [Jacob/OC] AU starting book 3.

**A/N:** Terribly sorry about the delay…my finals decided to be "funny" and kept going on and on. I'm back now and I'll get on with this fic as none-stop as I can.

* * *

Every one of the pack stood frozen as a very human Jacob stepped closer to them. No one dared break the silence in fear of maybe scaring the newcomer into hiding for six more months.

Jacob stopped in front of his alpha and bowed his head in a silent plea for forgiveness for his foolish behavior.

"Jacob," Sam said evenly, "have you found what you were looking for?"

The atmosphere in the group was heavy and tense while everyone seemed to hold their breaths for Jacob's answer.

"I realized that running away was stupid and not in the best interest of the pack, which should be my first priority and I want to apologize for the trouble I've caused." He finished, finally looking up into Sam's eyes.

Some moments passed before Sam nodded and turned to the rest of the pack members, "Well what are you all waiting for, let's start today's rounds."

The boys hooted and as they jogged past Jacob clapping him on the back and choruses of 'welcome back', 'glad you're back' and 'race you' floated around him. Only when it was just him and Sam did he notice a third person walking slowly past him.

"When did Leah shift? And _how_? She's a girl!" Jacob turned to Sam.

Looking after her, Sam said, "It happened about two months ago, it was a huge surprise to us all and it happened just hours before her brother changed too… we didn't think it was possible, but there's Leah for you, always doing what no one would expect." He finished with a fond smile.

"Right! Well where should I start my patrol?" Jacob asked.

"You… are going to go to your house and spend the day with your father, because something tells me you haven't been there yet." Sam looked pointedly at him.

Jacob looked shamefully at the ground and sighed heavily, "I wanted to put off facing him until I've figured out what I could possibly say to make him less disappointed in me."

"He's upset and worried, but not disappointed I can assure you… just go to him." Sam coaxed.

Jacob nodded and turned on his heal ready to sprint full speed to his house; even when reluctant about a confrontation he still missed his father, but turned back to Sam and gave a small nod, "Thanks."

Acknowledging Jacob's gratitude with a smile Sam shifted on the spot and went the opposite direction.

Standing in front of the hose he grew up in Jacob noticed that it had changed only slightly since he had been gone.

Panting, he drew closer to the porch steps but stopped short when the front door swung open revealing a smiling Emily.

Looking up Emily's smile dropped and was replaced with wide eyes and a slack jaw. Her words left her.

"Jake!" she managed to choke out after some time.

He didn't want this, didn't want to deal with anymore people today. Facing his father was going to be hard enough. He looked everywhere that wasn't Emily's face.

Not for the first time that he thought Emily could read minds, she just approached him with a small smile and held his hand for some moments when she was close enough, her smile widened into a grin and then she let go and walked past toward her car that was parked some way from the house.

Relieved and grateful he vowed to give Emily the biggest hug the next time they meet. Shifting his eyes from the ground back to his home and the churning in his stomach he felt earlier came back with a vengeance. His heart raced with fear and anticipation with every step he took closer to the front door.

He entered past the creaky frame of the door, a few steps inside had him facing the back of his father's chair, and whatever courage he might have mustered up drained out of him.

Jake didn't want to face what he had done to his father. He knew it must have broken him, disappointed him. His son turned out to be the coward who fled when emotional issues became too much to handle. To him he's the boy who's throwing away a life for a girl who walks with vampires.

He didn't want to face it but he had no choice but to do so. He owed it his father and everyone else to try and gain back their trust and confidence in him. He needed to do this.

He purposefully stepped on one of the floorboards that creaked.

"Dad?"

He saw his father freeze, then turn his chair slowly. His face held heartbreak and disbelief, and Jacob hated himself for causing it.

"What took you so long boy?"

Jacob swallowed around the lump in his throat, and eliminated the space between him and his father; he knelt in front of him so they were eye-to-eye. He took one of his father's hands in his own.

"I am so, so very sorry Dad. I didn't… I wasn't thinking right. And I- I just want to forgive me, please." And his voice broke on the end of his confession as he bent down to rest his forehead on the back of the hand he was holding.

After a moment he felt his father's other hand move to his head and started to pet his hair.

"Son… Jacob I forgive you, but I just want to know why?"

Jacob lifted his head and looked at his father through watery eyes.

He couldn't start over on lies, he knew. He would have to tell his father everything from the very start. Everything about Bella and her vampire and how he got himself mixed up in the middle of that. This would not be easy, but he needed to earn his place back in the family, community, and the pack. He needed to re-prioritize and fit his loyalties where they rightfully belong.

And so he told his father.


End file.
